Get your quirk on.

Main menu

Post navigation

My Cheetah-thon Post, Full of Gooshy Love

Next Saturday is Jack’s last hockey practice of the season. This year of hockey has been an amazing one. I am so grateful for what the Cheetahs have given to Jack this year. I am so grateful for what they have given to me this year.

Being a part of the Cheetah Nation is one of the very best things I’ve ever been involved with in my life.

And now that all the gooshy love feelings are out of the way, here is the story of the Cheetah-thon as experienced by Team Stimey. (Featuring some (more) gooshy love feelings and some purloined pretzels.)

I’ll start with the gooshy love feelings, which can be summed up in this photo, which I stole from someone on Facebook:

I’m so glad someone caught this moment.

If that’s not gooshy and lovey enough for you, how about this photo of Jack and his coach?

That’s a coach who loves his players.

I found that detail in the background of another photo and I can’t get over it. I love it.

Of course Jack wasn’t the only member of Team Stimey that went skating. These two jokers gave it a shot too:

I love that Sam is trying to help Quinn and Quinn is having NONE OF IT.

I didn’t skate this time, but I did wander around on the ice in my sandals to take photos. The arena people resurfaced the ice in the middle of our two-hour skate time and asked all of us to get off the ice for a few minutes. I was one of the last ones off because my shuffling was slower than skating and also because I was too busy taking photos to follow directions. This panicked Quinn, who is always looking out for me.

He started banging on the glass and pointing behind me to alert me of my imminent Flattening by Zamboni.

It just slowed me down because then I had to take a photo of him.

My kids had such a great time at the Cheetah-thon. Sam and Quinn were happy, but Jack was totally in his element. Like, smiling, joyous in his element. I’ve spoken before about the safe space that the Cheetahs create and I mean that in a literal sense in that other people will step up to keep my kid safe, but I also mean it in a another sense.

I can see Jack relax when he’s around these people. Jack is comfortable with the Cheetahs. He is at home. That means a lot to a kid like Jack. I know you get that. It also means a lot to me.

Anywho. After everyone was done skating, I asked them to smile nicely for me and this is what I got.

Hmmm. I’m starting to figure out why my kids are the way they are.

Thank you, MIL, for not being a jerk like everyone else.

My kids were done skating, so Alex helped them take their skates off, which reminded me of the reason that I take Jack to practice and help him put his gear on and take it off.

Some of us have a more delicate touch than others.

So, I was taking photos and everyone else was wandering around and I started thinking that I wanted to put eyes on Jack, even though I was pretty sure Alex or my MIL was watching him. I saw him just as he came around a corner with this:

He didn’t have money or an adult with him. How did he get the pretzel?

I was all, “Jack, did you just take that pretzel?!?!”

And he replied, “I said please.”

I made it to the snack bar counter just as my mother-in-law was paying the confused and amused looking teenagers behind the counter.

You have to love that Jack. I know I do. I also know you do. And I love all of you.

I love that sneaky pretzel thief face! In our house we all have enough of a challenge walking upright on dry land, so anyone prepared to strap on skates (or sandals even) and head out onto ice is a hero in our world.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comment

Name *

Email *

Website

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

Stimey believes rodents are funny, autism may be different than you think, and that if you have a choice between laughing and crying, you should always try to laugh—although sometimes you may have to do both.